2015 February California Bar Exam Forum

[cndounda1985]

Anyone who passed have a copy of the Bar Code cheat sheets? I'd be willing to purchase and any other helpful stuff you may have for a third timer.

Thank you

[injun]

Finally received my scores and just wanted to see if anyone could give me feedback.

Essay 1: 55
Essay 2: 70
Essay 3: 60
Essay 4: 60
Essay 5: 60
Essay 6: 55

PTA: 50
PTB: 60
MBE Scaled: 1378.
OVERALL: 1340

My PTA score was a complete shock. I actually thought the PT scores would be reversed given that I realized I made some glaring mistakes on PTB. I had a tough time understanding PTA and it clearly showed.

Also, I was wondering if anyone can provide comments regarding MBE. So far, my scores were:
Feb 14: 1353
July 14: 1368
Feb 15: 1378.

Are these scores at all decent? I used Barbri, Kaplan Redbook, and Adaptibar. I was thinking about using BarMax next time instead of Adaptibar. Does anyone have any recommendations? Thanks again

[cndounda1985]

Same here I'd like some feedback please. My MBE score went down tremendously from Feb 2014.
55 Ks
70 Real Property
70 Civ Pro
50 Remedies
55 BA
55 Wills/Trust
70 PTA
60 PTB

Raw written 615
Scaled written 1427
Scaled MBE 1254

Total 1366

Last Feb14 1339 and the highest score I had was two 65s

[bb8900]

I passed. It was my second attempt. But for all of those you did not, do not let this get you down! This was the lowest pass rate for a February exam in a DECADE! The last July bar exam was the lowest July bar pass rate also in a DECADE! Clearly the bar examiners are insane. Also, please remember that this is not an intelligence test, but a hazing ceremony. A couple losers got lucky with easier graders and passed, so now they want to make the rest suffer. You can pass, you will pass!

Recommendations for what helped me:

1. Learn to IRAC. I thought that three years of law school taught me this, but I was wrong. I hired an amazing tutor who taught me the proper way to write in about an hour. Then I spent the next 8-10 weeks perfecting my writing and critically issue spotting. The tutor also spent a lot of time on teaching me what Analysis truly was, and more importantly, how to prove it to the bar graders.

2. Create your own outlines. These should be very short, about 1-3 pages per subject. They are just the rule statements for each topic for every subject. Memorize them cold!

3. Buy Whitney Roberts Cheat Sheet. These are skeleton outlines for each topic within each subject. Memorize them cold!

4. Do as many practice tests as possible. That is the only way to get used to the bar examiners style and ways they hide issues. Good news is that they are not trying to hide them. Most essays are only half a page. Find the issues and highlight them on the test/practice. Cross them out after you analyze them.

5. Practice PT's. PT's are the easiest way to pass. Most people spend their entire time studying for the essays. This is obviously important, but you are only going to get 6 of the 14 subjects, and you don't know which ones. PT's are 100% going to be on the test. Additionally, they do not require memorizing anything, just practice. Most importantly your scores are doubled. Thus, a low score makes passing hard. A high score, which gets doubled, makes passing much more likely. This is on top of their being 2 PT's with each score doubled. Super most importantly, unlike the essays where the unpredictability of the subject and sub-topics make getting a 70+ very hard, PT's make getting a 70 possible. That is because you have to follow the directions and give them what they want. This is much more difficult that I am describing, but with practice the PT's become similar and this familiarity really helps with timing. Basically, you cannot afford to not get at least two 62.5's on the PTs. Whereas two 75's basically assure a pass. Practice the PT's and get used to their style!

Hope this helps! Keep your heads up! This beast of a test can be passed!

[a male human]

I would like to further emphasize the importance of PTs. bb8900 took the words right out of my mouth.

Don't be the person who says "I'll just do one PT the week before, lol"

Be the person who does one every 1-2 weeks starting this weekend, and gets familiar with the act of doing a PT (including what answers for various types of tasks should look like).

You think double the points ain't much? YEAH I WENT TO LAW SCHOOL BECAUSE I SUCK AT MATH HEHE!

First of all, that "joke" got tiring after the first time. Second, I hate law students, god.

Try typing with one hand or preparing for your funeral at 40 years old.

By the way, you only have TWO shots at this. Compare that to six shots at essays and 190 on the MBE. Basically, you should aim to secure BOTH PTs if you want to pass.

Here, I'll make it even easier for you so you have no excuses (valid ones anyway). Here are 9 PTs you can practice for the next two months. Feel free to do some or instead peruse "weird" ones of your choice (like writing a will or some shit, don't spend too much time on those):

Straightforward ones—start with these

Snyder v. Regents of the University of Columbia, Feb 2008 PT-B (objective memo, statement of facts)
Estate of Small, Feb 2006 PT-B (persuasive brief, statement of facts)
In re Snow King, Feb 2004 PT-A (persuasive brief, memo to client)
Pearson v. Savings Galore, July 2008 PT-B (objective memo)

Mid-tier ones to try—get these under your belt

State v. Dolan, Feb 2013 PT-B (closing argument, persuasive)
Vasquez v. Speakeasy, July 2010 PT-A (persuasive brief)
Farley v. Dunn, 2009 July PT-A (brief in support of summary judgment, statements of uncontested material facts)

Insanity—if you can handle these, you’re good to go

People v. Draper, July 2013 PT-B (objective memo)
In re SIA, July 2013 PT-A (objective memo)
When I took the 2013 bar (yeah, the ridiculous ones above, live, in the flesh), I have heard from more than one source that they induced real tears and crying during or after the actual thing


B-BU-BUT...!

SHUT UP AND PRACTICE THEM UNTIL YOU CAN DO THEM IN YOUR SLEEP

5/30 edit
Here is a nicer, elaborated version in my updated guide to kicking PT ass: https://[link redacted]/BpCCNS (note to self: v. 1.2b)

(TLS gave me a courtesy DMCA warning, but I assure you I am the sole author of the document behind the shortened link above.)

[cndounda1985]

I passed. It was my second attempt. But for all of those you did not, do not let this get you down! This was the lowest pass rate for a February exam in a DECADE! The last July bar exam was the lowest July bar pass rate also in a DECADE! Clearly the bar examiners are insane. Also, please remember that this is not an intelligence test, but a hazing ceremony. A couple losers got lucky with easier graders and passed, so now they want to make the rest suffer. You can pass, you will pass!

Recommendations for what helped me:

1. Learn to IRAC. I thought that three years of law school taught me this, but I was wrong. I hired an amazing tutor who taught me the proper way to write in about an hour. Then I spent the next 8-10 weeks perfecting my writing and critically issue spotting. The tutor also spent a lot of time on teaching me what Analysis truly was, and more importantly, how to prove it to the bar graders.

2. Create your own outlines. These should be very short, about 1-3 pages per subject. They are just the rule statements for each topic for every subject. Memorize them cold!

3. Buy Whitney Roberts Cheat Sheet. These are skeleton outlines for each topic within each subject. Memorize them cold!

4. Do as many practice tests as possible. That is the only way to get used to the bar examiners style and ways they hide issues. Good news is that they are not trying to hide them. Most essays are only half a page. Find the issues and highlight them on the test/practice. Cross them out after you analyze them.

5. Practice PT's. PT's are the easiest way to pass. Most people spend their entire time studying for the essays. This is obviously important, but you are only going to get 6 of the 14 subjects, and you don't know which ones. PT's are 100% going to be on the test. Additionally, they do not require memorizing anything, just practice. Most importantly your scores are doubled. Thus, a low score makes passing hard. A high score, which gets doubled, makes passing much more likely. This is on top of their being 2 PT's with each score doubled. Super most importantly, unlike the essays where the unpredictability of the subject and sub-topics make getting a 70+ very hard, PT's make getting a 70 possible. That is because you have to follow the directions and give them what they want. This is much more difficult that I am describing, but with practice the PT's become similar and this familiarity really helps with timing. Basically, you cannot afford to not get at least two 62.5's on the PTs. Whereas two 75's basically assure a pass. Practice the PT's and get used to their style!

Hope this helps! Keep your heads up! This beast of a test can be passed!

Thank you!!

[SpAcEmAn SpLiFF]

Can someone explain this "double the points" thing about the PTs? I never even heard of this until just now. I did a whopping zero PTs before I took the CBX.

[a male human]

Can someone explain this "double the points" thing about the PTs? I never even heard of this until just now. I did a whopping zero PTs before I took the CBX.

Each PT is worth twice as much an essay.

Imagine the written portion divided into 10 parts. Er, let's imagine 10 shots at the bar because lawyers love drinking.

Allocate 6 shots to the essays, one for each essay.
Allocate 4 shots to the PTs, two for each PT.

Where did I get these numbers? According to the grading rubric, the raw score on your PTs will be doubled. Your total raw written score will be out of a possible 1000. I don't have the actual source.

Stated another way, getting 5 extra points on a PT is equivalent to getting 10 extra points on an essay (or 5 extra on two essays).

[LawJunky]

This post is intended to expand on AMH's notes about writing a PT. I pretty much learned this method through the fruits of listening to MURPH and 2807. Then I took Flemings review course and turned in 23 PTs for grading in preparation for the Feb 2015 bar exam.

As MURPH said....Let's call it Murph's Law.... You need to write enough PTs until you find something that works for YOU. Here is how I did it on the Feb Bar exam. And I had to work hard because I scored a 50 and 55 last July on my two PTs. Had I score a 60 instead of a 50, that would have gained 20 more points (doubling) and I would have passed. Thus, I had to painfully learn how to jack-up my PT score.

1. When writing a PT, I believe that it's the best approach to IRAC each and every statute, and you should IREAC each case. If the concept of IREAC (explain/compare/contrast) is confusing, then at least IRAC each case.

2. You should create a roadmap (outline) of the PT "calls" on a single sheet of paper.

3. For example, on PT-A in Feb 2015, there were 7 calls (maybe 10 calls if you chose to bifurcate more calls than I chose to bifurcate). I think seven calls would be impossible to manage without a roadmap. An outline of the calls should be made immediately after reading the letter to the associate.

4. Then, as you IRAC each statute and each case, each one must be listed under the appropriate call on your one page map. The statutes and cases may be listed under more than one call. This is what makes the PT tricky.

5. Someone may say that not all statutes should be IRACed, and there is some logic to deciding whether a statute should be included or not. I say this approach is prone to error. I would much rather IRAC them all, rather than exclude one that the grader wanted to see. You should therefore always IRAC all statutes and remove that decision from your test taking stress.

6. It is crucial to passing, that the particular statute or the case is listed under the correct call. If it is not listed in the right place, you can do a great job on your IRAC, and still get no credit for it.

7. Read the facts first, as quickly as humanly possible while "sitting on your hands". Make no notes. Use your good memory to remember the facts, so you can get to the library ASAP (30 minutes max). Then, one by one, IRAC each piece of law you find, when you first encounter it. Don't outline, and then make a second pass (or worse, a third pass) to write your answer. Write your IRAC for statute 1, then proof read it, spell-check it, then you are done with statute 1 forever. Go to statute 2. Keep plowing. Rinse, repeat. You will not need to go back to the fact file, because you just read them, and they are fresh in your mind.

8. When you are done IRACing something, mark it on your handwritten roadmap so you know where it belongs in the essay. This is absolutely crucial to passing.

9. When you are done IRACing everything, and everything is reflected on your hand-written roadmap, your final task is to move everything around in your examsoft editor to correspond with your roadmap. BTW... If you have a computer that is somewhat underpowered, this step can give you difficulty as examsoft chews up RAM memory with every copy and paste. On PT-A, my final paste operations were taking 15 seconds and I was afraid that my computer could crash. Talk about stress. If you have a new, modern Windows computer, or any kind of a Mac, you should not have this issue.

10. Make a line of demarcation with all equal signs =================== in your editor. Everything below the line are your individual IRACS. Copy and paste everything above the line into the proper place dictated by the roadmap. Leave the original IRAC below the line. You will need to copy it a second time if your IRAC goes under two calls. The IRACS will not be completely identical if they go under two calls. I am sure you get the idea. When you are done assembling your answer, you can blow everything away below the ============== line.

11. You don't need to outline the facts, nor the library. Just read and write your essay, and as you do so, keep referring to and refining your roadmap.

12. The beauty of this method is you will avoid the death-knell of the PT... failing to finish. Most all the test takers around me never finished PT B. This method gives you your best shot to finish.

Obviously, you are a laptopper.

There is a particular way to write a persuasive heading. If anyone cares, I will describe it.

Good luck,

LJ

[CAWondering86]

Havent gotten my scores. Cant bear it

[duskfall]

Thank you!!

So, many people share the huge long table?
Also, it doesn't seem like you stayed at the hotel, but if you know any, could you recommend one you heard of/or saw as the closest to the center?

no problem. I used earplugs so if there was any extra noise I didn't hear any of it. you'll be so in the zone that you probably won't even notice outside noise during the exam. I didn't have any of those issues at Ontario. the thing I liked about taking it there was that parking was easy and the area isn't very congested so it made for a less stressful environment than taking it in LA in my opinion. if you live near Ontario I would definitely recommend taking the exam there.

two people per table, but I had nobody sit next to me, which the proctors then allowed me to sit in the middle to utilize more space.

[Bar Slayer]

Same here I'd like some feedback please. My MBE score went down tremendously from Feb 2014.
55 Ks
70 Real Property
70 Civ Pro
50 Remedies
55 BA
55 Wills/Trust
70 PTA
60 PTB

Raw written 615
Scaled written 1427
Scaled MBE 1254

Total 1366

Last Feb14 1339 and the highest score I had was two 65s

Your essay scores are good. You got 70 for 2 different essays, and a 70 on the PT.

What was your MBE score the last time? It looks like your essays aren't what's keeping you from passing-it's the MBE. If you can get your MBE scores up by 20 points (target scaled total 1450+) you will pass.

Improving 20 points on the MBE is simple, but not easy. I improved 20 points between the first and second times I took the NY bar, and it wasn't easy. How many practice questions have you done in the past? Did you create an outline or list of rules related to the questions you got wrong? This is the tried and true way to improve your MBE score. Also as a side benefit, your understanding of the major topics (torts, contracts, etc) will improve.

I highly recommend Adaptibar. It shows you your strong and weak areas, so you can target them accordingly. I don't think there's a minimum number of practice questions you should do, but people who score high have done anywhere from 1,000 to 4,000 practice questions. If you have done that many, then it's just a question of how you're practicing, and whether it's effective.

Feel free to PM me if you have more questions.

[sarafat]

Any one else in the Greater LA area still waiting for their results? I was expecting them in the mail Monday (yesterday).

[SpAcEmAn SpLiFF]

Can someone explain this "double the points" thing about the PTs? I never even heard of this until just now. I did a whopping zero PTs before I took the CBX.

Each PT is worth twice as much an essay.

Imagine the written portion divided into 10 parts. Er, let's imagine 10 shots at the bar because lawyers love drinking.

Allocate 6 shots to the essays, one for each essay.
Allocate 4 shots to the PTs, two for each PT.

Where did I get these numbers? According to the grading rubric, the raw score on your PTs will be doubled. Your total raw written score will be out of a possible 1000. I don't have the actual source.

Stated another way, getting 5 extra points on a PT is equivalent to getting 10 extra points on an essay (or 5 extra on two essays).

Ugh, I wish I'd known this stuff before I went and failed the f-ing bar.

[071816]

Can someone explain this "double the points" thing about the PTs? I never even heard of this until just now. I did a whopping zero PTs before I took the CBX.

Each PT is worth twice as much an essay.

Imagine the written portion divided into 10 parts. Er, let's imagine 10 shots at the bar because lawyers love drinking.

Allocate 6 shots to the essays, one for each essay.
Allocate 4 shots to the PTs, two for each PT.

Where did I get these numbers? According to the grading rubric, the raw score on your PTs will be doubled. Your total raw written score will be out of a possible 1000. I don't have the actual source.

Stated another way, getting 5 extra points on a PT is equivalent to getting 10 extra points on an essay (or 5 extra on two essays).

Ugh, I wish I'd known this stuff before I went and failed the f-ing bar.

no offense, but why did you not research the exam's scoring methodology before taking it? this information is public knowledge.

[a male human]

Can someone explain this "double the points" thing about the PTs? I never even heard of this until just now. I did a whopping zero PTs before I took the CBX.

Each PT is worth twice as much an essay.

Imagine the written portion divided into 10 parts. Er, let's imagine 10 shots at the bar because lawyers love drinking.

Allocate 6 shots to the essays, one for each essay.
Allocate 4 shots to the PTs, two for each PT.

Where did I get these numbers? According to the grading rubric, the raw score on your PTs will be doubled. Your total raw written score will be out of a possible 1000. I don't have the actual source.

Stated another way, getting 5 extra points on a PT is equivalent to getting 10 extra points on an essay (or 5 extra on two essays).

Ugh, I wish I'd known this stuff before I went and failed the f-ing bar.

Hmm, I'm curious about why you didn't do any PTs before taking the bar. Did you consider doing them at all? Was it a conscious decision?

[TheLegalOne]

Any one else in the Greater LA area still waiting for their results? I was expecting them in the mail Monday (yesterday).

I'm in the IE and was expecting my scores yesterday, too. I didn't get them. I hope they arrive today.

[SpAcEmAn SpLiFF]

Can someone explain this "double the points" thing about the PTs? I never even heard of this until just now. I did a whopping zero PTs before I took the CBX.

Each PT is worth twice as much an essay.

Imagine the written portion divided into 10 parts. Er, let's imagine 10 shots at the bar because lawyers love drinking.

Allocate 6 shots to the essays, one for each essay.
Allocate 4 shots to the PTs, two for each PT.

Where did I get these numbers? According to the grading rubric, the raw score on your PTs will be doubled. Your total raw written score will be out of a possible 1000. I don't have the actual source.

Stated another way, getting 5 extra points on a PT is equivalent to getting 10 extra points on an essay (or 5 extra on two essays).

Ugh, I wish I'd known this stuff before I went and failed the f-ing bar.

Hmm, I'm curious about why you didn't do any PTs before taking the bar. Did you consider doing them at all? Was it a conscious decision?

I worked full-time (~50 hrs/week) while studying and I barely had enough time to get the BLL down. If I'd had more time, I would've taken the trouble to practice MBE, essay and PT questions, but I just didn't. If I'd had even more time, I would've took the trouble to familiarize myself with the grading scheme. Instead, I ended up going through just the Barbri practice MBE and skimming over some model essay and PT answers. I knew it wasn't ideal, but I didn't really have much of a choice.

[a male human]

Can someone explain this "double the points" thing about the PTs? I never even heard of this until just now. I did a whopping zero PTs before I took the CBX.

Each PT is worth twice as much an essay.

Imagine the written portion divided into 10 parts. Er, let's imagine 10 shots at the bar because lawyers love drinking.

Allocate 6 shots to the essays, one for each essay.
Allocate 4 shots to the PTs, two for each PT.

Where did I get these numbers? According to the grading rubric, the raw score on your PTs will be doubled. Your total raw written score will be out of a possible 1000. I don't have the actual source.

Stated another way, getting 5 extra points on a PT is equivalent to getting 10 extra points on an essay (or 5 extra on two essays).

Ugh, I wish I'd known this stuff before I went and failed the f-ing bar.

Hmm, I'm curious about why you didn't do any PTs before taking the bar. Did you consider doing them at all? Was it a conscious decision?

I worked full-time (~50 hrs/week) while studying and I barely had enough time to get the BLL down. If I'd had more time, I would've taken the trouble to practice MBE, essay and PT questions, but I just didn't. If I'd had even more time, I would've took the trouble to familiarize myself with the grading scheme. Instead, I ended up going through just the Barbri practice MBE and skimming over some model essay and PT answers. I knew it wasn't ideal, but I didn't really have much of a choice.

Man, that's tough. Assuming you were working at a firm, they didn't give you time off to study?

[Bar Slayer]

Can someone explain this "double the points" thing about the PTs? I never even heard of this until just now. I did a whopping zero PTs before I took the CBX.

Each PT is worth twice as much an essay.

Imagine the written portion divided into 10 parts. Er, let's imagine 10 shots at the bar because lawyers love drinking.

Allocate 6 shots to the essays, one for each essay.
Allocate 4 shots to the PTs, two for each PT.

Where did I get these numbers? According to the grading rubric, the raw score on your PTs will be doubled. Your total raw written score will be out of a possible 1000. I don't have the actual source.

Stated another way, getting 5 extra points on a PT is equivalent to getting 10 extra points on an essay (or 5 extra on two essays).

Ugh, I wish I'd known this stuff before I went and failed the f-ing bar.

Hmm, I'm curious about why you didn't do any PTs before taking the bar. Did you consider doing them at all? Was it a conscious decision?

I worked full-time (~50 hrs/week) while studying and I barely had enough time to get the BLL down. If I'd had more time, I would've taken the trouble to practice MBE, essay and PT questions, but I just didn't. If I'd had even more time, I would've took the trouble to familiarize myself with the grading scheme. Instead, I ended up going through just the Barbri practice MBE and skimming over some model essay and PT answers. I knew it wasn't ideal, but I didn't really have much of a choice.

That's tough. FYI-working full time and preparing is really, really hard especially for the CBX. I did the same (around 50 hrs/week as well), and was originally planning to take July 14 but instead delayed to Feb 15 so I could prepare adequately. You should consider doing the same (delaying one more exam) to the extent it's possible.

Having said that there are some tricks to studying while working. If you use a web based MBE question bank (like Adaptibar, or Barbri's questions) you can squeeze in a few practice questions at lunch, or during slow periods at work. And obviously it's helpful to study/practice in the mornings before and in the evenings after. You have to be careful to avoid burnout though. Doing a little bit at a time helps tremendously.

The key is to make sure you plan out your study schedule so you know you're on the right track, even if you're doing just 5 MBE questions per day.

[duskfall]

Can someone explain this "double the points" thing about the PTs? I never even heard of this until just now. I did a whopping zero PTs before I took the CBX.

Each PT is worth twice as much an essay.

Imagine the written portion divided into 10 parts. Er, let's imagine 10 shots at the bar because lawyers love drinking.

Allocate 6 shots to the essays, one for each essay.
Allocate 4 shots to the PTs, two for each PT.

Where did I get these numbers? According to the grading rubric, the raw score on your PTs will be doubled. Your total raw written score will be out of a possible 1000. I don't have the actual source.

Stated another way, getting 5 extra points on a PT is equivalent to getting 10 extra points on an essay (or 5 extra on two essays).

Ugh, I wish I'd known this stuff before I went and failed the f-ing bar.

Hmm, I'm curious about why you didn't do any PTs before taking the bar. Did you consider doing them at all? Was it a conscious decision?

I worked full-time (~50 hrs/week) while studying and I barely had enough time to get the BLL down. If I'd had more time, I would've taken the trouble to practice MBE, essay and PT questions, but I just didn't. If I'd had even more time, I would've took the trouble to familiarize myself with the grading scheme. Instead, I ended up going through just the Barbri practice MBE and skimming over some model essay and PT answers. I knew it wasn't ideal, but I didn't really have much of a choice.

I worked full time and passed on my first try in February 2014. I woke up at 3am every weekday morning and did as much studying I could till I started work. You don't want to study after you get home because you'll be exhausted.

The weekends is your opportunity to get in more studying. Repeate this for 2 straight months.

[SpAcEmAn SpLiFF]

Can someone explain this "double the points" thing about the PTs? I never even heard of this until just now. I did a whopping zero PTs before I took the CBX.

Each PT is worth twice as much an essay.

Imagine the written portion divided into 10 parts. Er, let's imagine 10 shots at the bar because lawyers love drinking.

Allocate 6 shots to the essays, one for each essay.
Allocate 4 shots to the PTs, two for each PT.

Where did I get these numbers? According to the grading rubric, the raw score on your PTs will be doubled. Your total raw written score will be out of a possible 1000. I don't have the actual source.

Stated another way, getting 5 extra points on a PT is equivalent to getting 10 extra points on an essay (or 5 extra on two essays).

Ugh, I wish I'd known this stuff before I went and failed the f-ing bar.

Hmm, I'm curious about why you didn't do any PTs before taking the bar. Did you consider doing them at all? Was it a conscious decision?

I worked full-time (~50 hrs/week) while studying and I barely had enough time to get the BLL down. If I'd had more time, I would've taken the trouble to practice MBE, essay and PT questions, but I just didn't. If I'd had even more time, I would've took the trouble to familiarize myself with the grading scheme. Instead, I ended up going through just the Barbri practice MBE and skimming over some model essay and PT answers. I knew it wasn't ideal, but I didn't really have much of a choice.

Man, that's tough. Assuming you were working at a firm, they didn't give you time off to study?

I was given two, but was only able to take off one because I was too busy. It sucked, but I still could've done some stuff differently in retrospect. I thought a solid understanding of BLL combined with my relatively decent test-taking skills would've been sufficient. Obviously I was wrong. I wish I'd wasted less time going through the Barbri lectures and more time on practice questions. Things will be different this time though; I already have my outline from last time. I can re-memorize the BLL by mid-June and drill through practice MBEs, essays, and PTs like a mofo until the test.

[duskfall]

Can someone explain this "double the points" thing about the PTs? I never even heard of this until just now. I did a whopping zero PTs before I took the CBX.

Each PT is worth twice as much an essay.

Imagine the written portion divided into 10 parts. Er, let's imagine 10 shots at the bar because lawyers love drinking.

Allocate 6 shots to the essays, one for each essay.
Allocate 4 shots to the PTs, two for each PT.

Where did I get these numbers? According to the grading rubric, the raw score on your PTs will be doubled. Your total raw written score will be out of a possible 1000. I don't have the actual source.

Stated another way, getting 5 extra points on a PT is equivalent to getting 10 extra points on an essay (or 5 extra on two essays).

Ugh, I wish I'd known this stuff before I went and failed the f-ing bar.

Hmm, I'm curious about why you didn't do any PTs before taking the bar. Did you consider doing them at all? Was it a conscious decision?

I worked full-time (~50 hrs/week) while studying and I barely had enough time to get the BLL down. If I'd had more time, I would've taken the trouble to practice MBE, essay and PT questions, but I just didn't. If I'd had even more time, I would've took the trouble to familiarize myself with the grading scheme. Instead, I ended up going through just the Barbri practice MBE and skimming over some model essay and PT answers. I knew it wasn't ideal, but I didn't really have much of a choice.

Man, that's tough. Assuming you were working at a firm, they didn't give you time off to study?

I was given two, but was only able to take off one because I was too busy. It sucked, but I still could've done some stuff differently in retrospect. I thought a solid understanding of BLL combined with my relatively decent test-taking skills would've been sufficient. Obviously I was wrong. I wish I'd wasted less time going through the Barbri lectures and more time on practice questions. Things will be different this time though; I already have my outline from last time. I can re-memorize the BLL by mid-June and drill through practice MBEs, essays, and PTs like a mofo until the test.

I would utilize barbri's mobile audio lectures. I listened to them while at work. Although I don't think I really paid attention to them most of the time (since I was working) I think it gave me some good exposure when I did listen.

[cndounda1985]

Same here I'd like some feedback please. My MBE score went down tremendously from Feb 2014.
55 Ks
70 Real Property
70 Civ Pro
50 Remedies
55 BA
55 Wills/Trust
70 PTA
60 PTB

Raw written 615
Scaled written 1427
Scaled MBE 1254

Total 1366

Last Feb14 1339 and the highest score I had was two 65s

Your essay scores are good. You got 70 for 2 different essays, and a 70 on the PT.

What was your MBE score the last time? It looks like your essays aren't what's keeping you from passing-it's the MBE. If you can get your MBE scores up by 20 points (target scaled total 1450+) you will pass.

Improving 20 points on the MBE is simple, but not easy. I improved 20 points between the first and second times I took the NY bar, and it wasn't easy. How many practice questions have you done in the past? Did you create an outline or list of rules related to the questions you got wrong? This is the tried and true way to improve your MBE score. Also as a side benefit, your understanding of the major topics (torts, contracts, etc) will improve.

I highly recommend Adaptibar. It shows you your strong and weak areas, so you can target them accordingly. I don't think there's a minimum number of practice questions you should do, but people who score high have done anywhere from 1,000 to 4,000 practice questions. If you have done that many, then it's just a question of how you're practicing, and whether it's effective.

Feel free to PM me if you have more questions.

Thank you. I got a 1310 last time on the MBEs. I did keep track and I increased the number of MBEs. This time around I did close to 1300 MBEs. I'm going to sign up for Adaptibar. I know I struggled with Contracts and Tort MBEs and I didn't think I practiced enough Civ Pro MBEs. I will PM you with more questions. Thanks!

[SpAcEmAn SpLiFF]

I would utilize barbri's mobile audio lectures. I listened to them while at work. Although I don't think I really paid attention to them most of the time (since I was working) I think it gave me some good exposure when I did listen.

Damn, wish I'd thought of that before. Definitely listening to that stuff if I have mindless work to do in the office.